The Nuclear Frontier
by ScorpioSkies
Summary: When Nora contracts a mysterious disease after enduring a pokemon attack, she decides that life's too short to be spent wallowing in the confines of Vault 81 - especially when her ex, Nate, has embarked upon a perilous journey into the Commonwealth to try and discover a cure. Set in FO universe with pokemon, major AU/canon divergence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Good Intentions

"Unbelievable!" Nora cried, extending her security baton with a flourish of her hand. The two men who had been looting the depot's shelves froze in place, and when one of them began turning to face her, the herdier standing at her heels gave a menacing snarl, prompting him to stop. "Drop whatever you're holding, put your hands behind your heads and turn to face me. Now."

Bullets and two boxes of Fancy Lad's snack cakes hit the floor as the intruders obeyed, slowly turning around with their hands behind their heads. Bobby De Luca's sallow skin was almost ashen beneath the bright lights, his bloodshot eyes bulging as beads of sweat ran down his face. Nathaniel Sterling on the other hand seemed completely calm, a small smile curving his lips as he looked her.

"Nora, I can explain," he began, trying to catch her gaze, but she was too busy staring at the firearm he had holstered at his belt.

In one fluid motion she dropped her baton in favour of her own pistol, unlocking the safety as she levelled it at his chest. "Lay down your weapon. I'm not going to ask twice."

As though sensing her mood, the herdier's snarls increased in volume, the cape of dark fur along its back standing on end. Nathaniel licked his lips and nodded, slowly lowering one hand to remove the holster from his belt as Bobby made a strangled noise behind him.

"Alright Nor, just take it easy, okay?"

"Take it easy?" Nora hissed, her eyes blazing with blue fire. "After what you did? After what you're _doing_? You know the rules, Nate! Only the security team can have weapons in the vault, and you're no longer a member!"

"I promise, this is not what you're thinking." Nate said, keeping his voice calm and level as he lowered the gun to the floor before kicking it away.

"How could it not be?" Nora demanded, keeping her weapon raised. "You're breaking the curfew, you've broken into the depot and now you're helping yourself to the supplies! I don't see either of you leaving caps on the counter!"

"Nora, we're _not_ stealing," Nate insisted, hardening his tone. "We're just –"

"I've heard enough." Nora scowled, glowering as she reached for the handcuffs on her security belt. "I don't need to hear any more of your bullshit. I'm cuffing you both and taking you to security."

"No, you're not." Nate drew himself to his full height, his gaze intensifying.

"N-Nate, maybe you should listen to her," Bobby stammered, his voice shrill as the herdier lowered into a crouch, taking a threatening step forward. "If we get in any more trouble, we'll be kicked out of the vault –"

"We're going to be kicked out of the vault anyway," Nate scowled, keeping his eyes locked with Nora's. "But I'll be damned if I'm going to sit back and let Austin die."

"Austin's on his death bed because of you!" Nora scoffed. "If he dies, that's on the two of you!"

"It is," Nate snapped, finally losing his cool. "It's our fault he got hurt, okay? But we're also the only ones willing to get off our asses and do something about it!"

"Like stealing supplies from the vault? Very helpful, Nate!"

"We're _borrowing_ supplies to explore the secret vault and find a cure!" Nate's voice was almost a shout, his hands clenched into fists. "All Edwards and the Overseer have done is announce a curfew and shut themselves in the office! Austin doesn't have long, Nora, he's getting weaker with every moment that passes and I can't let him die because of me. Not without doing something about it first."

The depot fell silent as Nora mulled over his outburst, her eyes flickering with conflicted emotions. She lowered her pistol slightly, but didn't holster it.

"How are you going to do it?" she asked, glancing between them.

"Me and Bobby are going to borrow some weapons and basic rations, including snack cakes to lure the wild pokémon away." Nate replied, his tone once again even though his jaw was still squared. "We're going to search the secret vault for something to help Austin, or at the very least take out some of the vermin infesting it."

"And you were going to go? Just the two of you?" Nora frowned, glancing between them.

"I've got Lady here, too," Nate replied, raising one hand to indicate the single pokéball attached to his belt. "Look, I don't want to drag anyone else into this, Nor. Besides, the Overseer and Edwards would never let us go if we told them."

"Of course they wouldn't," Nora sighed, her tone more exasperated than angry. "It's dangerous in there! We don't know how many more pokémon there are, not to mention the fact they could all be infected and make you sick like Austin!"

"So we should just sit in our rooms, waiting for him to die? Or for those creatures to burrow into our vault?" Nate demanded, watching as Nora huffed and averted her eyes. "Nora, _please_ , just go back to the security office and pretend that you didn't see anything, alright? Just turn a blind eye and let us do what we can."

A myriad of emotions crossed her face, and then she lowered her weapon. "You know I can't do that."

"Nor –"

Nate fell silent when Nora kicked his pistol back towards him.

"Finish grabbing your preparations and meet me in the reactor room." She ordered, holstering her pistol and collecting her baton from the floor. "I'll see what I can bring from the security office."

"You're coming with us?" Nate blinked, staring at her incredulously.

"Yeah. With me and Tia at your backs, you might actually live to see tomorrow." Nora shrugged, calling the herdier to her side with a snap of her fingers. "I'll see you in five minutes."

Nate exhaled heavily, his eyes softening as his lips curled into a genuine smile.

"Thank you."

Nora just grunted in response as she turned on her heel, stalking back into the atrium with Tia at her side.

* * *

When Nora and Tia arrived in the reactor room, it was to find Nate and Bobby sitting on crates beside the false wall. At their heels a tiny rockruff was rolling on the loose earth, demanding tummy rubs from Nate.

At the sight of Nora and Tia however, it rolled back onto its paws with an excited yap and raced over, its fluffy tail wagging furiously.

"Hey little Lady," Nora crooned, crouching down as the puppy greeted her by rubbing the rocks in its ruff against her legs. Moments later it had rolled over for her to rub its tummy, tail thumping and tongue lolling happily.

"I see you've come prepared," Nate commented, nodding at the pale grey body armour she now donned over her vault suit.

"Considering we'll likely be facing sandshrew and sandslash in there, I figured we might need more than our vault suits to keep us safe." Nora rose back to her feet, shrugging a bulky backpack from her shoulder and placing it on the ground. "You two better gear up."

As Nate and Bobby approached, she opened the pack and produced a canine security jacket, whistling for Tia to heel before fastening it over her back. The rockruff sniffed at Tia's jacket, wagging her tail before fixing Nora in an expectant blue stare.

"Sorry, Lady, they don't make them in puppy sizes," she shrugged, feeling another smile curve her lips before she turned back to Nate, hardening her expression. "You should call her back into her ball, Nate. We don't want her running around loose in there."

"She's not as weak as you think." Nate sighed, rolling his eyes as he fastened his own armour in place. "Lady can hold her own in a fight."

"She's never been in a fight against anything tougher than a caterpie," Nora frowned, folding her arms. "Considering what that sandslash did to Austin, I don't want to think about what one could do to Lady."

"She's right," Bobby added hesitantly, keeping his eyes fixed on a baton he'd removed from the pack. "The sandslash that attacked Austin was double Lady's size, and its claws were huge. If we run into more like that, even Tia might be in trouble."

"Glad to see the jet hasn't completely rotted your brain, Bobby," Nora drawled, only to receive a reproachful glare from Nate.

"Lay off, Nor. Bobby's here to help, so stop putting him down."

Nora rolled her eyes but nodded, busying herself with checking her weapons instead whilst Nate unclipped Lady's pokéball, recalling her in a shimmering beam of blue light.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." He said, striding towards the false wall and opening it with a strong kick. The panel rolled upwards with a groan, revealing the hydraulic steel door that lay behind it. "Everyone ready?"

When Nora and Bobby nodded, he opened the door. The steel groaned, shuddering as it disappeared up into the doorframe, allowing them to view the heavy gloom beyond.

Nora gagged at the stench emanating from the secret vault, clapping her hand over her mouth whilst Tia growled, hackles rising beneath her security jacket and tail dipping between her legs.

"You two… seriously went in there to huff jet?" she choked, staring at her fellow vault dwellers in disbelief.

"It takes a bit of getting used to," Nate shrugged with a tight smile. "I'm afraid it doesn't get any better inside."

Nora turned her head to one side, inhaling a final breath of fresh air before she forced herself to walk forwards, activating the emerald coloured lamp of her pip-boy. Tia followed dutifully at her heels, whining softly as they crossed the threshold. The stench seemed to grow more pungent with every step, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the dog with her superior sense of smell.

Loose earth and empty jet inhalers crunched beneath her boots, interspersed by large chunks of concrete that had fallen from the ceiling. The walls on either side were bulging, visibly straining to contain the tonnes of earth behind them. The whole place screamed of neglect and danger.

She arrived in a corridor which ended in a hallway and staircase, leading up to the next level. Large mounds of earth made the going treacherous, and the way Tia was nosing the ground and growling did little to instil her with confidence. Bobby and Nate emerged behind her moments later, adding their torchlight to hers.

"So, you guys done much exploring in here?" she whispered, glancing at them over her shoulder.

"Not really," Nate murmured, indicating a small side corridor set into the right wall. "We mostly used the room down there and sometimes sat on the stairs, but that was it."

"Where was Austin attacked, Bobby?" Nora asked, slowly continuing forwards.

"Upstairs," he replied, pointing towards the staircase. "It burst out of a hole in the wall and was on him before I could do a thing."

When they reached the bottom step they paused, gazing towards the landing above. Lights flickered dimly up ahead, but did little to alleviate the darkness. Exhaling heavily, Nora checked her pistol a final time and made to step forwards, only to feel Nate's hand grasp her arm.

"I'll go first," he said, already moving past her. His footsteps clanged noisily, echoing through the deserted corridors and setting his companions on edge. It felt almost blasphemous to disturb the silence.

When he reached the landing, he spotted the hole in the wall Bobby had referred to, the steel peeled back as though something had broken through from the other side.

Dark bloodstains were still visible, spattered upon the steel floor where it wasn't covered in soil. He released a shuddering breath, tearing his eyes away to study the hole in the wall instead, watching for any signs of movement whilst Nora, Tia and Bobby climbed the stairs behind him.

At the sight of the dried blood Bobby's face crumpled and he turned away, stepping quickly past Nate before he could protest and striding down the walkway, holding his security baton in a white knuckled grip.

"Bobby, slow down!" Nora whispered, hurrying to catch up with him.

Tia lingered beside Nate for a moment, sniffing at the loose earth before she gave a small grunt and moved on, brushing past his legs. Reassured that he wasn't in immediate danger of being savaged, Nate spared the damaged wall one last glance before he followed the others.

They arrived in derelict living quarters, furnished with a bunkbed, table, dressers and even a desk complete with a terminal and chair. Despite the dirt and destruction of the hallway outside, this room seemed virtually untouched.

"We should fan out," Nate said, already heading towards the desk. "See if there's anything useful in here."

"I doubt we're going to find anything in a bedroom," Nora muttered under her breath, but she moved towards the nearest dresser all the same and began to pull out the drawers, whilst Tia sniffed around. Bobby headed towards the far side of the room, checking over the tables and a second dresser.

They worked in silence, the groans and creaks of the vault creating an eerie ambiance as they searched for anything of use. To Nora's disappointment the drawers were empty, as though the room had never been occupied, and Bobby had no luck either.

Nate however succeeded in firing up the terminal, wiping dust from the monitor with his fingertips. He tapped away on the keyboard for a few minutes, pausing to read through the files whilst Nora and Bobby waited behind him.

"This sounds promising," he finally spoke, straightening up and wiping his hands down the front of his body armour, leaving dirty streaks on the grey padding. "According to this terminal, Vault-Tec were working on developing cures for diseases in here, and it sounds like they were pretty successful."

"But what happened to the scientists who were working in here?" Nora frowned, "and how did no one from our side of the vault know about this place?"

"I don't know," Nate shrugged, folding his arms as he leaned back against the desk. "It just mentions that they were working on cures and that they had a pokémon breeding programme underway for lab animals. Apparently they gave them growth hormones, which would explain the size of the sandslash Bobby killed."

"Well, guess that means we'd better be extra careful if we run into any wild pokémon in here," Nora sighed. "And here I thought our vault was experiment-free."

"We should get moving," Bobby said, illuminating a door set in a corner of the room. As Nora and Nate walked towards him, Bobby opened the door, stepping out into a corridor that, although crowded with crates and littered with rubble, was in much better shape than the area they had first entered.

Bobby's footsteps echoed upon the linoleum as he walked ahead, striding past a tower of steel crates and into the open. A distinct whir broke the silence, causing Nate and Nora to freeze.

" _Tia! Tackle!_ " Nora shouted, pointing towards Bobby.

Tia became a blur, surging forwards to collide with Bobby and send him sprawling to the floor. Bullets shredded the air where he had been standing only seconds before. Bobby wailed, scrambling on his hands and knees to the safety of a corner whilst Tia began to bark at the turret. She only retreated to Bobby's side when Nora gave a stern command.

Feeling a surge of adrenaline, Nora readied her pistol and waited for a lull in the gunfire. When the turret finally paused to reload, she broke away from her cover and opened fire, her shots going wide as she ran along the corridor towards it. Nate shouted and Tia barked anxiously, but there was no time for her to reconsider her actions.

The turret opened fire again, and she narrowly avoided a hail of bullets by throwing herself behind a lone crate. She glanced back down the corridor to see Nate leaning from behind his cover to shoot, though he was soon forced to retreat when the turret changed targets.

Steeling her nerves, Nora licked her lips before jumping back to her feet, taking aim at the steel dome and firing a volley of shots. Seconds later the turret was offline, falling from the ceiling in a shower of sparks. It landed on the ground with a metallic thud, and silence fell once more.

For a few moments everything was eerily still. Then Tia was racing towards her, barking furiously. Releasing a shaky breath, Nora stooped down to pat the pokémon's fluffy head, calming her with gentle words of reassurance.

"What the _hell_ was that?"

Nora jumped, glancing up to see Nate stalking towards her with a livid expression.

"Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

"It's fine," Nora sighed, standing upright. "I'm not even scratched, and the turret's gone –"

"It could have shot you to pieces!" he fumed. "You didn't have to take that risk!"

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Nate," Nora bit back. "Besides, as the only member of security here, I'm technically in charge!"

Tia whined softly, tapping her paw against Nora's leg.

Nate huffed irritably, running a hand through his hair as he glanced around the corridor, before finally returning his eyes to hers.

"Look. I don't want to see you get hurt, alright? I know we've had our differences, but I still - "

"This is neither the time nor the place." Nora interrupted, turning heel. "Let's just focus on finding a cure for Austin, alright?"

They continued their search in a strained silence, working their way through what appeared to be the residential wing without discovering anything of further interest. The only danger they encountered was in the form of another turret, which was shot down before it had even registered their presence. It was shortly after encountering the turret that they reached the second wing of the vault.

"Research and maintenance," Nate read, scanning over the illuminated sign set above a red doorway. "If we're going to find a cure in here, this will be the place." As he spoke he activated the door panel, and just like that the stench of the vault intensified.

Immediately Tia's feathery ears pricked and her lips curled back in a snarl, her fur standing on end.

"I'm guessing this is also the place to find the wild pokémon," Nora gagged, her eyes watering slightly.

"Alright, stay sharp from here on out," Nate ordered, breathing through his mouth. "If we do run into anything, try not to get bitten."

Nora and Bobby nodded, readying their weapons before they stepped into the hallway.

The next room they reached was a ruin. The floor consisted entirely of dirt, surrounding large, steel pillars that upheld the walkways of the floors above. Hillocks of soil and chunks of broken concrete made for unsteady footing, whilst also provided potential cover for wild pokémon.

"We need to be silent from here on out," Nate whispered, surveying the room warily. "Try to be as light-footed as possible, and keep an eye out for danger."

When the others nodded their silent agreement, Nate tentatively stepped forwards, holding his breath. His boot sank slightly into the soil, but nothing burrowed out to attack him. He took another step, and then another, gradually making his way across the room.

Tia followed him, scanning the room silently as Bobby trailed behind her and Nora watched their backs.

They had made it halfway across the room when Tia froze, her grey eyes locked on a patch of earth. Bobby stopped behind her, his torch beam wavering slightly as he illuminated the spot.

Soil plumed into the air, and they all stared as a small muzzle breached the surface, accompanied by two stubby paws that ended in sharp, white claws. Seconds later a sandshrew had emerged, its large, dark eyes reflecting the torchlight. For a few moments it sniffed the air, catching their scent before it bared its teeth with a snarl, lowering into a crouch.

"Tia! Crunch!" at Nora's order, the herdier launched forwards, seizing the wild pokémon in her jaws and biting down repeatedly with an ugly snarl. The sandshrew squealed, thrashing wildly as it fought to break free, but Tia shook her head wildly and released it, watching as it flew across the room.

It collided with a steel support beam and fell to the ground, slowly curling up into a ball before it lay still. For a few moments they remained standing where they were, staring at the creature's scaly hide.

Then the floor began to move.

The soil shifted under their feet as more pokémon clawed their way to the surface, emerging with snarls and squeals.

"Get moving!" Nate shouted, pointing across the room to where a flight of stairs led up to the next floor. "There's too many of them!"

They ran, Tia bounding alongside them. Nate was the first to reach the stairs, taking them three at a time with Bobby following, whilst Tia and Nora brought up the rear. When she was halfway up the stairs, Nora stopped and turned around, Tia halting beside her as the first of the sandshrew bounded up the stairs towards them.

"Tia! Roar!"

The herdier inhaled deeply before projecting a deafening bark that stopped the sandshrew dead in their tracks. Seconds later the wild pokémon were fleeing back down the stairs, retreating into the soil amidst a hail of bullets. When the last pokémon had burrowed its way underground, Nora lowered her pistol with a shaky breath.

"Harder than the training programme, isn't it girl?" she asked with a weak smile. "A lot more exciting though, right?"

Tia wagged her tail and chuffed in response.

"Nora!"

They turned to see Nate standing at the top of the stairs, long locks of dark hair plastered to his face as he stared down at them.

"We're fine," Nora called, climbing the rest of the way with Tia following close behind. "Tia scared them off, but I don't think we should stick around in case they regroup, or come back with even more friends."

"Hey! I think I found something!" Bobby's voice called from across the landing. They turned to find him stood at the foot of another flight of stairs, beckoning to them urgently. Seconds later he disappeared behind the staircase, and Nate and Nora exchanged a glance before they moved to follow him.

As they drew closer to the stairs, they began to hear tinny voices, and when they passed the staircase it was to discover a large, black screen set into a wall, flanked by a terminal on one side and a speaker on the other.

"What is this?" Nate frowned, his brows knitting together. "And why can I hear Doctor Penske's voice?"

"I don't know why, but it's coming from the speaker there," Bobby said, pointing towards it.

 _"… help Austin?"_ Penske's voice crackled from the speaker. _"I mean why else would they have gone in there?"_

 _"I'm certain they went there to help Austin, Priscilla,"_ Katy Pinn's voice replied. _"I know Bobby was desperate to do something – "_

 _"As well he should have been!"_ Penske's voice spat. _"If it wasn't for that chem-addict, Austin would never have entered that vault and been attacked!"_

Bobby dropped his eyes to the floor as Priscilla Penske's rant dissolved into helpless sobs.

 _"He's just a boy… why did it have to be him?"_

As Katy's voice attempted to console the doctor, Nora cleared her throat, drawing Nate and Bobby's attention to the terminal she had accessed. Her face had grown pale and her lips were set in a grim line.

"I think I've discovered what Vault-Tec were doing in here, and you're not going to like it."

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense," Nate pressed, drawing closer to her. "What does it say?"

"They've been watching us this entire time… or at least they were. This is a monitoring station, where they could watch over the hydroponics lab." Nora began, gesturing at the devices installed into the wall. "But that's not even the bad part. They were going to release diseases inside our vault, to see how it would affect the population."

A heavy silence fell as the vault dwellers processed the information. Finally, it was broken by the distinct scuffle of claws and the squeaking of sandshrew on the floor below.

"Let's keep moving," Nate whispered, gesturing to the stairs beside them.

They set off, climbing the stairs as quickly and quietly as they could with Nate leading the way.

They passed through a security gate and entered the next area, where they discovered listening stations similar to the first, monitoring the storage depot and the Overseer's office.

 _"… the best we can hope for is that they come out of there alive, and hopefully with something to help Austin."_ Overseer Gwen McNamara's voice emanated from a speaker, her tone weary.

 _"If you're not going to let my people go and do their job, I guess_ hoping _is all we can do."_ Security Chief Edwards replied, his tone acerbic. _"…It could be worse, I suppose,"_ he said after a beat of silence. _"Nora's one of my best officers, and Nate showed promise before he started hanging out with Bobby. Together with that herdier, they should be fine… especially with the supplies they stole from the depot and security,"_ he added dryly, which earned an amused huff from the Overseer.

 _"Let's deal with one infraction at a time, Edwards. For now ensure the rest of the residents are secured, and keep a pair of officers watching for their return."_

 _"Of course, Overseer."_

As the speaker fell silent Nora groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, there go all my hopes of sneaking back unnoticed…"

"Hey, you don't have anything to worry about," Nate shrugged, giving her a small smile. "You heard the Chief... which means my theories of favouritism have been confirmed," he added with a smirk, already striding towards another next security gate.

Nora and Bobby peered through the wire mesh into the space beyond, trying to alleviate the darkness with the light of their pip-boys to no avail.

Nate struggled with the security door for a moment or two, throwing his shoulder against the steel as he rattled the doorknob impatiently.

"Damn… thing… won't… open…" he scowled, punctuating each word with a shunt of his shoulder. Bobby stepped forwards, parting his lips to offer help when the door flew open with a groan, and Nate shot forwards into the darkness with a startled shout.

" _Shit!_ " Nora cried, racing to join Bobby at the doorway in time to see Nate tumble down a flight of stairs… and land face down on a thick layer of soil at the bottom. He lay still, his limp silhouette illuminated by the emerald glow of his pip-boy.

" _Nate!_ " Nora took the stairs three at a time, almost falling herself before she reached the final step and dropped onto the ground beside him, her eyes wide and hands hovering anxiously over him, uncertain of what to do. "Nate, please talk to me…"

"Ow…" Nate groaned, his fingers digging into the soil as he braced his hands on the ground. Nora released a shaky breath as he slowly pushed himself onto his hands and knees, wincing as he did so.

"Are you alright? You scared the hell out of me," she said, ducking under his arm to help pull him upright.

Nate laughed weakly, his pip-boy light glinting in his eyes as he gazed down at her, gently squeezing her shoulders in a one-armed hug.

"Well, now you know how it feels."

Nora opened her mouth to respond, when Tia began barking frantically from the doorway above them.

"What's wro – "

The ground in front of them exploded in a shower of soil. They barely had time to note the jagged spines or razor-sharp claws before the creature launched at them, slashing wildly.

Nate stumbled back against the wall, narrowly evading the attack, but Nora was not so fortunate. The first sweep of the creature's claws tore into the padding of her security vest, and the next slashed at her exposed thighs, tearing through the vault suit and leaving gashes behind.

Tia charged down the stairs and launched herself at the creature, the pair of rolling away in a snarling mass of snapping teeth and swiping claws.

"Nor!" Nate's voice was sharp as he seized her shoulders, staring at the blood that was now darkening the royal blue of her vault suit.

The ground beneath their feet tremored, and Nate pushed her back onto the stairs as he seized his pistol from its holster and turned, shooting a pair of sandshrew as they emerged.

For a few moments Nora just kept staring at her wounds, adrenaline keeping the pain at bay as blood roared in her ears. Then Tia released a panicked yelp, and just like that Nora broke free of her daze, suddenly overcome with terror.

 _"Tia!"_ Swiping her pistol from its holster, she rushed past Nate and onto the ground, ignoring his and Bobby's shouts as she cast her pip-boy light about, searching for her partner. Her legs quaked as she ran to where she could hear Tia fighting, but they did not buckle.

Her torch beam fell upon Tia cornered by an overgrown sandslash, her security coat torn and bloody. Clenching her teeth, Nora opened fire upon the sandslash.

The bullets hit the spines that armoured the creature's back. It squealed in pain and tried to flee, only for Tia to set about it with her teeth, seizing its throat and silencing it forever.

The ground was shifting beneath Nora's feet as more sandshrew threatened to emerge.

"Shit!" she fumbled for the lone pokéball attached to her belt, turning it towards the herdier that was already limping towards her. "Tia! Return!"

No sooner had the hound coalesced into a beam of shimmering light, then a pair of sandshrew burst from the soil where she had been standing, swiping the air with their claws.

Nora had only just clipped Tia's pokéball back to her belt when something collided with the back of her legs. She fell to her hands and knees with a cry, unwittingly firing her last bullet into the dirt.

The two sandshrew that had failed to ambush Tia now launched at her, swiping with their claws. Nora reared back onto her knees, raising her arms defensively only to feel a third pokémon jump on her back, weighing down her security vest.

Claws raked her forearms and she lashed out, catching one of the rodents with her pip-boy whilst the other dodged back, crouched on all fours as though it were readying itself for another attack.

A shadow appeared in her peripheral vision and she turned her head to see Nate fire two shots at the pokémon, killing them instantly. More footsteps raced up behind her and she heard a meaty _thunk_ as the last creature was knocked from her back by a security baton, only to be finished by a third bullet from Nate's pistol.

"C'mon! We've got to go!" Bobby cried, his eyes practically bulging from his head as he seized her arm, dragging her back to her feet.

"There's a door over there!" Nate barked, pointing across the space to where a single wall light flickered, illuminating a filthy steel door. "Let's go!"

With Bobby pulling Nora forwards and Nate watching their backs, the trio moving quickly through the room.

Nora could hear sandshrew squeaking and snarling, but none attacked them. As Bobby messed around with the door controls, she followed Nate's gaze to where the creatures were congregated in two groups on the opposite side of the room, apparently too busy fighting amongst themselves to pay them any mind.

A deafening squeal cut across the sounds of squabbling sandshrew, and Nora turned her head to see that the door was opening. Without waiting for it to fully open, Bobby ducked through into the next section, pulling her after him.

The noise had apparently startled some of the pokémon into attacking, because as she glanced back over her shoulder Nate began to open fire.

As she emerged into a dark corridor devoid of soil and sandshrew, Nora shouted to him through the now half-open door. A few moments later he ducked through, and Bobby hit a switch on their side of the door.

Thankfully, it closed a lot faster than it opened.

* * *

"Tia's going to be okay, right?" Nora asked softly, gazing at the pokéball she held in both hands.

"We've done our best," Nate replied, soaking some bandages with antiseptic. "She'll be a little sore and I'd definitely get Forsythe or Rachel to check her over when we get back, but I think she'll be okay. To be honest, it's you I'm worried about."

Nora snorted, glancing up to meet his gaze. He was smiling faintly, but his face was wan and his eyes concerned.

"Tia's the one who took that sandslash on, not me." Nora replied, glancing away only to spy the bloody ruins of Tia's security coat. "Her wounds are worse than mine… _Ow!_ "

She yelped as Nate began to clean the gashes running across her thighs. The royal blue on the legs of her vault suit appeared almost black from the blood and filth that stained them.

"It's not a competition, Nor." Nate said firmly, his eyebrows knitting together as he focused on his task. "Besides, what happened to not getting bitten or scratched? For all we know, those pokémon could have been infected…" he trailed off, his voice quavering slightly.

They lapsed into silence, the only sounds being the occasional sniff from Nate and pained hiss from Nora.

To distract herself from the sharp sting of the antiseptic, Nora bit her lip and began to peer around the laboratory they had taken refuge in. The wing they had entered seemed to consist entirely of laboratories, some in better condition than others.

Some had contained large cages and broken walls where pokémon had evidently burrowed through. Others, such as the room they currently occupied, were simply full of supplies and workstations.

She could see the dull glint of dusty medical equipment and beakers lining shelves set around the room. There were even fridges which, according to Bobby, contained nothing but packets of spoiled blood samples.

When Nate had finished cleaning her wounds, he injected a stimpak above the deepest gash, before binding them with bandages as an extra precaution.

"Alright, roll up your sleeves and I'll sort out the scratches on your arms."

Sighing, Nora clipped Tia's pokéball back onto her belt and obeyed, rolling up the torn sleeves of her vault suit to show the deep scratches on her forearms. As Nate began to wipe them clean, footsteps echoed in the corridor outside.

Moments later Bobby stepped through the doorway, approaching the table upon which Nora was sat.

"You feeling okay, Nora?" he asked, fidgeting with the straps of his backpack.

"Stings a little, but I'll get by," she shrugged, glancing over at him.

Nodding, he looked away, only for Nora to clear her throat and catch his eye again.

"Thanks for what you did in there, Bobby," she said, smiling at him wearily. "Throwing those snack cakes to distract the rest of the pokémon was a stroke of genius, and I appreciate that you came and helped when I was getting attacked."

"Oh… I… it was nothing," Bobby shrugged, quickly dropping his gaze. "Just glad you and Tia made it out okay."

" _So,_ " Nate began, glancing up from where he was bandaging Nora's forearms. "Did you find anything interesting while you were out?"

"Not really," Bobby said with a shake of his head. "Just some labs full of beakers and broken terminals. No cures or chems in sight."

"And just like that, Bobby the jet-head returns…" Nora muttered under her breath, raising her arms to check over Nate's handiwork.

"Oh, I also found a staircase to the next floor," Bobby added, ignoring her comment. "The only thing is I think I heard some more pokémon up there, so we'll need to be careful."

"Seriously? How much longer does this vault go on for?" Nate sighed irritably, running his fingers through his hair. "I was hoping that we would have found something by now…"

"Well, we still might." Nora replied, slipping from the table. "I also hope we find another exit. I don't feel up to running through those dirt rooms again."

"There's only one way to find out," Bobby shrugged, glancing between them. "Do you guys want to head off now, or rest up for a bit?"

"I'm good to go," Nora said immediately, taking an experimental step forwards. Nate opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a stern look. "Austin's counting on us," she said firmly. "You said so yourself. He doesn't have long and we can't afford to waste any more time."

"Alright. Just be more careful from here on out." Nate sighed, shouldering his pack once more.

Choosing to ignore his comment, Nora followed Bobby out into the hallway, passing by towers of crates and boxes of unused laboratory equipment. The trio eventually arrived at the foot of a stairwell where they paused, listening for the pokémon that Bobby had heard earlier.

There was only silence.

They waited for a few minutes, listening for any potential threats, but when the silence dragged on undisturbed, Nate placed his foot on the first step.

"I'll scout ahead and make sure we're not walking into an ambush," he whispered, glancing back over his shoulder. "You two should wait here –"

"Not a chance, Nate." Nora's voice was low but sharp, and her gaze just as piercing. "We need to stick together in here."

"Nora's right," Bobby added, nodding his head. "You could get hurt up there, or pokémon could turn up down here and attack us! It's better we stay as a group."

"And here I thought you were being brave," Nora muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I am being brave," Bobby scowled, glowering at his boots. "…Besides, you can't be brave if you're not scared first."

"Alright! We'll go as a group!" Nate sighed, exasperated. "Just stop arguing, alright?"

As he turned and made his way up the stairs, Nora mumbled a sullen apology to Bobby before following, gripping the handrail as she ascended. Despite the lingering warmth of the stimpak, her thighs were still sore and she felt a little dizzy, her hands growing clammy with sweat. The last thing she wanted to do was to fall back on Bobby and send them both back down the stairs.

When they reached the next level, it was to discover one half of the area dominated by broken and empty cages, filled with muck and soil. At the farthest end of the room, a single lightbulb cast a lonely pool of light, and they all saw the scaly shadows scampering around it.

Immediately to their right was another hydraulic steel door, this time connected to a terminal rather than a simple control panel.

Nate gestured for the others to keep watch whilst he crept stealthily towards the terminal, barely making a sound. For a few long minutes that seemed to stretch into eternity, Nate typed away at the keyboard, his eyes fixed to the screen.

Bobby and Nora watched the distant pokémon in silence, both certain that they could see sandslash silhouettes amongst the shadowy mass of sandshrew.

Then Nate cracked the password.

The door rose with a deafening screech that echoed throughout the vault.

The shadows on the far side of the room grew still.

"Let's go!" Nate hissed, gesturing for the others to move through the door.

No sooner had Nora and Bobby taken a step towards it, then the oppressive silence was shattered by an onslaught of squeaks and snarls. Clawed feet charged across soil and steel as the pokémon began to give chase.

Without further hesitation, the three vault dwellers rushed through the door, and Nate activated a control panel they found on the other side. As the door began to close, a sandslash surged into sight, having curled itself into a spikey ball.

It unfurled itself, slowing to a halt using its monstrous claws as it fixed them in an obsidian glare. Then it rolled up once more, heading straight towards them. Seconds before it crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut, and the pokémon collided with it hard enough for them to hear.

"Here's hoping we haven't locked ourselves in with any on this side," Nate murmured, watching the door for a few more seconds before he exhaled heavily, turning to climb the stairwell they had entered.

When he reached the top step he paused, staring in silence until Nora cleared her throat, prompting him to move out of the way. When Bobby and Nora emerged it was to find themselves standing in a large hallway.

There were two doors in sight, one at the far end and another set into the right hand wall, beside which was an observation window into the room beyond. But it was not the doors, window or the sight of broken terminals that had grabbed Nate's attention.

It was the three lockers laid out on the floor, set in a row with a lab coat neatly folded atop each of them. Candle wax poured in frozen rivers over the dusty metal, and vases containing long dead flowers were set at the foot of each locker.

"What is this…? Some kind of shrine?" Nora whispered, warily drawing closer to them. As Nate and Bobby watched, she reached out with tentative fingers to grasp the handle of the nearest locker, pulling it slightly ajar.

Seconds later she slammed it shut again, quickly backing away with a look of horror and disgust on her face.

"What? What is it?" Bobby demanded, glancing between her and the lockers.

"Bones… There's human bones in there!" she cried, pointing towards the locker with a shaking finger. "Who the fuck stuffs a skeleton in a locker?"

Bobby swallowed audibly, pressing his back against the wall furthest from the lockers as though he expected the skeleton to rise up and attack at any given moment.

"Alright, let's just try and keep calm, okay?" Nate began, though his face had grown notably paler. "I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable…"

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Nate trailed off, his eyes growing wide at the sound of an insistent tapping.

"Excuse me!" a voice called faintly. "Would you happen to be Vault-Tec security?"

Bobby gasped, seizing Nate's arm in a bruising grip as he and Nora turned in circles, weapons raised as they searched for the source of the voice.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Excuse me! I am here at the window!"

Licking her lips, Nora exchanged a silent look with Nate before the pair began to advance, keeping their pistols in hand. As they drew closer to the window, the light of their pip-boys illuminated the room beyond… and the Miss Nanny robot that was floating behind it.

"Are you Vault-Tec security?" the robot asked again, the lenses of its three eyestalks contracting as it scrutinised them. "I've waited so very patiently for you to arrive!"

"I… yes. I'm a member of Vault 81's security team," Nora nodded, frowning at the robot curiously. Having spent part of her childhood and all of her adult life within the vault, she had only ever met one other robot; Old Rusty, Bobby and Tina's battered Mr Handy who was held together by rust and desperation.

This robot was in much better condition, its white chassis and eyestalks still whole, albeit speckled with patches of rust. It had a pleasant feminine voice, and spoke with a strange accent.

"Superb!" the robot announced, bobbing up and down in the air. "I placed an emergency call so long ago. I was beginning to think something dreadful must have happened!"

Nora exchanged a speechless look with her companions, who simply shrugged and stared back at her. Then the robot began to speak again.

"I am pleased to report that I completed my primary duties eighty-three years ago. Thousands of pathogens were grown in the sandshrew hosts, and then a single broad spectrum cure was developed to treat them all –"

"A cure?" Nate interjected, stepping closer to the window.

"Oui, Monsieur." The robot replied, inclining one of its eyestalks in the facsimile of a nod. "A cure for every known illness within Vault-Tec's database."

"Do you have it?" he pressed eagerly. "Do you have the cure in the lab with you?"

"But of course!" the robot replied. "However, there is only one dose, and I cannot make anymore."

"Only one?" Nora frowned, tilting her head.

"That is correct. There used to be more, but they all expired." The robot explained, raising one claw appendage the way a human might hold up their hand in a shrug. "Sadly, the organic compounds required to make more have all deteriorated."

"One might be all we need," Bobby said quickly. "Austin's just a little kid, surely one dose will be enough?"

"But how do we know we can trust this robot?" Nora asked softly, lowering her voice and turning her back to the window. "There's no guarantee that this cure will even work…"

"I say we give it a shot," Nate said firmly. "If the robot's telling the truth, we'll have found exactly what we were looking for. It's Austin's best chance for survival."

"I will be happy to give you the cure," the robot piped up again. "Provided you are authorised to release me from this lab?"

"Yes!" Nate announced, tapping at the Vault-Tec logo on his body armour. "We are totally authorised to release you from the lab, robot!"

"Superb! I had almost given up all hope of leaving here," the robot said, before hovering out of sight. Moments later there was a hiss of hydraulics and the lab door opened. The robot entered the hallway, holding a syringe not unlike a stimpak in its claw appendage.

"As you are Vault-Tec representatives, I entrust you with the broad spectrum cure I developed. It is my hope that it finds its way to someone who needs it."

"Oh, it will." Nate murmured, carefully taking the syringe in both his hands.

"Since my job here is done," the robot announced, "I think that I will follow you out."

"Speaking of leaving, do you know the fastest way out of here?" Nora asked. "We need to get back to the Vault asap."

"I believe there is an elevator through that door that will convey us to the Vault screening area," the robot stated, gesturing towards the remaining door.

"The screening area…?" Nate repeated, realisation dawning upon his face. "No way! You mean the broken door no one could ever open leads into here?"

"Only one way to find out," Nora replied, beginning to feel reinvigorated. "Let's get going, then! You too, robot!"

"My designation is _Curie_ ," the robot corrected as it followed in their wake.

* * *

 **A/N:** So thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoyed it! ^^b

This is my first ever crossover fiction, and it's one that I've really wanted to write for a while! This is actually the fifth version of the story, but I think I'm finally happy with it!

So this fic is basically Fallout with Pokemon, so there will be death and violence *but* there will also be plenty of humour, fluff and romance too! The story diverges greatly from both Fallout and Pokemon canon as I'm blending elements of both, so I'm hoping it'll make for an interesting story!

I don't currently have a beta for this fic, so apologies if there are any glaring errors! ;P

Comments and kudos are hugely appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Goodbye

"Everything's going to be fine, Tia," Nora lied, the words bitter as they dripped from her tongue. Her eyes were growing hot with tears as she forced herself to match Nate's quick strides, ignoring the way her muscles ached in protest. "Doctor Forsythe and Rachel will make you better again, you'll see! Then I'll buy you a whole box of snack cakes, or one of Maria's pies and you can eat it all by yourself!"

Tia whined softly from Nate's arms, her head lolling over the crook of his elbow. Her grey eyes were dim, clouded with pain and fear. Spittle frothed around her lips, soaking her muzzle and the sleeve of Nate's vault suit as she panted, her breathing rapid and shallow.

Despite her determination to remain strong and positive for Tia's sake, Nora felt her façade crumble. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks and a strangled sob escaped her throat. She leaned forwards, pressing a gentle kiss to her pokémon's forehead just as they arrived at the clinic.

Deep down, she knew that this was goodbye.

* * *

Nora was sat at the table in her quarters, Tia's pokéball grasped loosely in both hands. The 'urn' that contained her pokémon's ashes was set in front of her, made from a pre-war vase. It had been from a place of kindness that Doctor Forsythe had gathered her friend's remains from the incinerator, and despite the fact that it pained her to look upon it, she was grateful.

She could hear the muffled voices of her fellow vault dwellers as they went about their business in the corridor beyond, the small world of Vault 81 continuing to function as though nothing were wrong. Everyone else continued to live their lives, but it felt like hers had ground to a complete halt, trapped in a void of numbness and grief.

The door to her quarters opened with a quiet hiss, and she glanced up to see Nate enter with Lady at his heels.

The rockruff immediately headed towards Tia's bed, only to pause when she realised it was empty. She cocked her head, glancing around the room as she looked for her friend, and Nora found herself rocked by a fresh wave of grief.

She covered her face with one hand, fighting back another sob as Lady began to sniff around the room, trying to find Tia.

She didn't hear Nate approach, but moments later he was crouched at her side and pulling her into a tight hug, murmuring soothing words as he gently rubbed her back. Burying her face in his shoulder, Nora finally allowed herself to cry.

At some point Lady sat at her heels, tapping her leg with a paw and whining softly.

Finally, Nora sat back and dried her eyes with her sleeve, sniffing noisily as she turned to regard the urn once more. Nate remained where he was for a few moments, gazing at her silently before he straightened up and cleared his throat.

"A trade caravan's due this afternoon, and the Overseer's authorised the Vault to be opened when they arrive…" he trailed off, frowning as he ran a hand through his hair. "I know it's a bit soon, but… I was thinking that if you wanted to spread Tia's ashes, now might be a good time."

At first Nora didn't reply, continuing to stare at Tia's urn in silence.

But then she cleared her throat and nodded.

"I think she would have liked that," she said quietly, lowering her gaze to where she held the empty pokéball in her lap.

For a few moments Nate lingered in her peripheral vision, then he moved to pull a chair from across the table. He sat down beside her, clasping his hands in his lap and studying the carpet as though it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I'm sorry, Nor," he said quietly.

Nora glanced at him from the corner of her eye, noting the slump of his shoulders and the set of his jaw. His long hair was a tangled mess, and in her mind's eye she pictured him pacing his quarters, running his hands through it as he tried to process his thoughts and grief.

"…It wasn't your fault," she said at length, swallowing down the bitter anger that wanted to feed off his guilt, and displace the blame from herself. "We all knew the risks of going in there."

"I knew you were going to be on duty that night, watching the security cameras." Nate raised his head and looked at her, shadows haunting his eyes. "If it had been anyone else, I knew me and Bobby would have been locked in the cells, if they hadn't thrown us out of the vault, first."

"It was still my decision to go with you, and bring Tia along." Nora said wearily, turning to face him though a frown was now crinkling her brow. "I could have left you and Bobby to it, or just done my job. But I didn't."

"You'd never have forgiven yourself if you had!" Nate cried, running both hands through his hair as his eyes began to water. "I knew that! And I was counting on it because..." his voice cracked and Lady whined anxiously from where she had retreated to lie in Tia's bed.

"It's all my fault." He continued quietly, his hands dropping back into his lap as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "I should have reported Bobby to Edwards when I saw him leave that vault… if I'd just done that, none of this would have happened. We'd still be happy, Tia would be alive and you wouldn't be sick…"

Nora's grip tightened on Tia's pokéball, but again she forced herself to swallow her anger.

"What's done is done," she said quietly. "There's no going back now."

"…Does it hurt?" Nate whispered, raising his eyes to look at her.

"I'm tired, Nate." Nora replied, rising slowly to her feet. "Wake me up when the Vault's open, okay?"

"…Yeah."

As Nora moved sluggishly back to her bed, Nate rose and walked towards the door, clucking his tongue for Lady to follow him out.

When they were gone, Nora fell onto her bed and cried.

* * *

Nora had always been against the use of chems. She had seen what long-term use could do to a person, how addiction could turn friends and families into strangers. Her skin crawled at the thought of the med-X that now flowed through her veins, but it had been a necessary evil, granting her a respite from her aching muscles so that she could carry the urn herself.

Nate was walking a little ways ahead of her, leading the way through the vault's screening area. Security had been doubled on account of the trade caravan, and the first level of the vault was a hive of activity with caravan hands carrying crates and the security team patrolling.

As they made their way towards the entrance, Nora felt the pitying stares of her fellow officers on her back, and the curious, sometimes obvious looks they were receiving from the outsiders.

She clutched Tia's urn more closely to her chest, feeling apprehensive.

Tia had been her constant shadow for years, watching for trouble and ready to jump to her defence, even when she had been nothing more than a tiny lillipup, barely standing above her ankles. Without her Nora felt not only lost, but vulnerable, regardless of the pistol at her hip and Nate watching her back.

They stepped onto the extended metal walkway that temporarily bridged the gap between the Vault and the cave outside, passing by a pair of caravan hands who were carrying pallets of tools in their arms.

It was a short walk through the cave after that, and when they emerged outside they were dazzled by the bright sunlight and clear, azure skies that soared overhead.

Immediately outside the cave was a fenced off perimeter, containing a number of wooden shacks where caravans and traders would sometimes spend the night in relative safety. It was currently crowded by a large number of caravan guards and hands, who were either watching for trouble or unloading the heavily laden pack pokémon, including tauros, gogoat and mudbray.

"This way," Nate said, leading her towards an alleyway between two shacks. When they reached the far side they turned left, following the rusted chain-link fence to where there was a large hole.

They passed by a lone mercenary who seemed to be shirking his duties in favour of a cigarette break, idly fussing the meowth that was perched on his shoulder. He watched them for a few moments before losing interest, pulling the brim of his cap lower over his eyes.

They ducked through the hole in the fence and made their way down a rocky slope, heading towards the glimmering waters of the Chestnut Hillock reservoir below. Trees provided ample cover from the road, and before they stepped out into the open, Nate checked and double-checked their surroundings for any potential dangers.

The dirt road that followed the reservoir's perimeter was deserted, and other than a few powder blue duckletts bobbing upon the water's glassy surface, there were no wild pokémon in sight.

When Nate finally gave the all clear, they stepped out and made their way to the water's edge, cautiously watching for any signs of disturbance. They had all heard the cautionary tales warning of dangerous pokémon that lurked beneath the surface, waiting to ambush unwary prey.

Nora stepped onto a rock that jutted out into the water, gazing across the reservoir to where the ruins of Boston reached jagged fingers towards the sky.

Once, many years ago, she had made the perilous journey through that city to reach Vault 81 in the company of her older brother. She tried to recall what it had been like, but only succeeded in conjuring hazy memories of towering buildings and a sense of danger.

She sighed heavily and opened her eyes, returning to the present.

"What do you say at a time like this?" she asked quietly, gazing at the urn in her arms. "Do you think she can even hear me? Or am I just talking to the wind?"

"I think the goodbye is as important for you as it is for her," Nate replied after a pause, watching her from the shore. "And if she can hear you, don't you want to tell her goodbye?"

 _I never wanted to say goodbye,_ Nora thought bitterly, but she didn't voice it aloud.

Instead she swallowed, trying to think of something meaningful to say. As she looked out across the water, one of the ducklett spread its wings and began to flap, splashing the others before it took to the air, flying to the east.

"Do you ever wonder how big the world is?" she asked, watching as the lone pokémon disappeared over some treetops.

"You know I do," Nate responded. When she turned to look at him he was frowning slightly, but his expression was otherwise unreadable.

"I wish I'd shown her more of it," Nora said softly, turning back to the water. "Do you remember that time we had a picnic above the cave? Remember how happy Lady and Tia were?"

 _We were,_ she silently added, longing to relive that moment of happiness again.

"I do." Nate nodded, his voice hoarse.

"She wasn't unhappy in the Vault," Nora continued, trembling fingers closing around the lid of the vase. "But she was happiest when she got to go outside… I wish I'd had the guts to visit the Commonwealth with her, you know? It would have been quite the adventure."

She pulled off the lid and paused, gazing at the ash and bone fragments gathered inside.

"But now she's gone, and I've got this… illness." A bitter sigh escaped her lips. "I guess neither of us will get to see what the world has to offer now."

"Don't speak like that," Nate said firmly. "Doctor Forsythe's working to find a cure –"

"We used the last cure on Austin," Nora replied dully. "When Doctor Forsythe went over Curie's data, he said that half the ingredients didn't exist anymore, so it can't even be replicated."

"We might not be able to replicate the cure exactly," Nate began, his hands clenching into fists. "But there are plenty of plants and pokémon that weren't around before the war. There's got to be something we can do…"

"There's nothing we can do." Nora said softly, sounding resigned. "The most I can hope for is that it doesn't worsen and finish me, too."

There was a beat of silence, and then Nate stepped up behind her, his arms looping around her in a loose embrace as he buried his face in her hair.

* * *

When the last of Tia's ashes were scattered over the water, Nora rinsed off her hands and led the way back into the cover of the trees. When they had climbed back up the slope and reached the perimeter fence, she stopped and turned to face Nate, shifting the now empty vase under one arm.

"There's something I want to do before we head back."

"Okay. Do you need any help?" Nate asked, watching her closely.

"It's… something I'd rather do alone," she said hesitantly, avoiding his gaze. "I won't be going far. Just up to the copse." As she spoke, she raised her finger to indicate a cluster of trees crowning the hill under which Vault 81 was situated.

Nate frowned slightly, considering the trees for a while before he turned back towards her. "So long as you take Lady with you," he said, removing the rockruff's pokéball from his belt. "She might not be much of a fighter yet, but nothing will get the jump on you while she's around. Deal?"

"Deal," Nora agreed, watching as he pressed the button to enlarge the ball before it opened in his palm. Lady appeared on the ground, bathed in shimmering blue light.  
For a moment she glanced between the two of them – and then realised that she was standing in grass. With a delighted yap, she began tearing at the nearest tussock with a playful growl, throwing the grass into the air to fall around her like green confetti as Nate handed Nora her pokéball.

"Come on then, Lady," Nora called, patting her leg to encourage the rockruff to follow.

It took several attempts and cajoling from the pair of them, but Lady eventually began to follow at Nora's heels, occasionally wandering a short distance ahead to nose at rocks or plants that caught her attention.

When they reached the copse, Nora moved towards the largest tree whilst Lady went to explore a moss covered boulder nearby. As the rockruff began a simple game of springing on and off the rock, Nora set the empty urn and Tia's pokéball to one side before tearing away some moss at the foot of the tree, exposing the dark earth underneath.

Using her fingers she began to dig, grateful that the soil was soft despite the blistering heat of the day. When she had succeeded in carving out a shallow crater, she placed Tia's pokéball inside and buried it, before setting the urn atop of it.

For a few long moments she sat back on her heels, gazing at the urn before she was struck by a flash of inspiration. Reaching into a small pouch on her security belt, she removed a long, sharp tooth and used it to carve a single name into the moss spattered bark of the tree.

 **TIA**.

Clutching the tooth in her hand, Nora sat cross legged upon the ground and silently contemplated her work.

It was a paltry memorial, but it was better than nothing.

Eventually she rose back to her feet and replaced the tooth in her pouch.

"Goodbye, Tia. I miss you."

Sniffing, she wiped at her eyes a final time before turning away, calling to Lady as she set off down the hill. When they arrived at the perimeter fence, Nora scooped Lady up into her arms, wary of the small puppy being stepped on by errant feet or hooves.

The caravan seemed smaller than before, as though some of the traders and hands had already left. Those that remained however seemed to have settled in for the night, their pack pokémon resting in a small enclosure whilst some of the hands set about creating cooking fires.

The vivid blue of Nate's vault suit was easy to spot amidst the drab, travel-stained clothing of the wastelanders. When she approached, it was to find him speaking to an older man with long, grey hair that was thinning on top.

The man noticed her approach first and fell silent, causing Nate to turn around and face her.

At the sight of her trainer, Lady began to yap and wriggle in Nora's arms, eager to greet him. As Nora stepped closer, the man turned back to Nate and caught his eyes in a piercing stare.

"If you're serious, meet me here at six a.m. sharp with the caps. If you're not here, I'm not waiting."

When Nate nodded his agreement, the man walked away, heading towards one of the shacks.

"What was that about?" Nora asked, finally placing Lady on the ground and handing her pokéball to Nate. "You making a purchase, or something?"

"…Yeah," Nate frowned, raising Lady's pokéball and recalling her without a word.

Nora blinked, surprised by the abrupt gesture, but decided against saying anything about it. She was feeling emotionally drained, and now that the med-X was wearing off her muscles were beginning to ache.

He was silent as they made their way through the Vault, avoiding eye contact and uttering not a single word. The silence was strained and uncomfortable, but Nora didn't have the energy to break it.

As they walked through the atrium, she reached down to grasp Tia's pokéball for comfort, only to remember that she had buried it under the tree. Her hand strayed to the tooth in her pouch instead, and she grasped it in her palm.

Nate walked her as far as her quarters, and she turned to face him at the door.

"Thanks, Nate."

"Yeah… no problem."

Managing a weak smile, Nora turned to open her door, when he spoke up again.

"I'll make this better, Nora. I promise."

Slowly, she turned to face him and found that he was looking directly at her, his hands clenched at his sides and eyes blazing with intensity. She couldn't think of anything to say and just nodded, before opening her door and disappearing inside.

* * *

It was late the next morning that Nora was roused from a deep sleep by somebody knocking on her door. She sat up with a groan, wincing at the aches of her body before glancing around the room, wondering why Tia wasn't barking at the disturbance.

Then she remembered, and her heart broke all over again.

The knocking at the door continued, and so she pulled herself out of the bed, covering the nightdress she was wearing with a bathrobe. When she reached the door she opened it, groaning when the harsh white lights of the corridor momentarily blinded her eyes.

She blinked a few times to clear her vision, and then blinked again.

When she had opened the door, she had expected to see Nate, Doctor Forsythe or maybe even the head of security, Officer Edwards.

Bobby De Luca certainly hadn't made the list of people she'd expected to find at her door, yet there he was, smiling at her nervously.

"Hi, Nora."

"Hi," she frowned, leaning against the doorframe. "Did you need something?"

"Oh… well, Nate said he was busy today and asked if I'd help keep an eye on you. Made sure you went to the clinic, and everything."  
Nora's frown deepened at that, becoming annoyed.

"I can take myself to the clinic, Bobby, I don't need anyone watching out for me."

"Well, Doctor Forsythe kind of said that you were missing your appointment," Bobby replied hesitantly, scuffing one of his boots on the floor.

Nora blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, it's gone past noon. I was just with Rachel for the clean-up programme, and Doctor Forsythe said you were supposed to be there for half eleven…"

"Dammit!" Nora turned, stiffly crossing her room to where her pip-boy lay discarded on her night stand.

Sure enough, Bobby was telling the truth. 12:18pm.

As she wrenched open the nearest drawer, seizing the first vault suit she found, Bobby stepped into her quarters, holding a holotape in his hand.

"Nate also said for me to give you this?"

"Just put it somewhere, Bobby! I don't have time right now!"

Despite her weariness, Nora's voice held enough bite that Bobby hurried to obey, dropping the holotape on the nearest surface before he retreated out of the door, closing it behind him.

* * *

"Ah, there you are!" Doctor Forsythe smiled, swivelling on his desk chair as Nora entered the clinic. "I was about to go looking for you myself. How are you feeling today?" As he spoke, he rose from his chair to usher her towards the nearest seat, a warm, reassuring smile plastered on his lips.

"Tired and achy." Nora shrugged, sinking into the chair with a sigh. "I'm not feeling any better than yesterday… maybe even a little worse."

"Is that so?" Forsythe's smile faded slightly as he picked up a thermometer and urged her to open her mouth. "Well, considering all that happened yesterday and your insistence on scattering your pokémon's ashes outside, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

With the thermometer under her tongue, Nora declined to comment and glanced around the clinic instead. Forsythe's assistant Rachel was sat at her desk, typing away at her terminal and the new robot, Curie, was hovering at a nearby workbench, monitoring some equipment.

As she gazed at the robot, one of its eyestalks swivelled around to face her.

"If you could roll up your sleeve, I'd like to check your blood pressure." Forsythe said, his voice prompting her to turn to face him.

As she nodded and began rolling back her sleeves, she heard the soft sputtering of a jet propulsion, and glanced up to discover that Curie had hovered across the room towards them.

"Excuse me Doctor, but I believe I may have –"

"Not now, Curie," Forsythe frowned, waving the robot away as he fitted a cuff around Nora's arm. "I'm with a patient."

"But Doctor –"

"I said I'm with a patient," Forsythe repeated, not even deigning to glance over his shoulder.

"I… as you wish, Doctor."

Nora blinked, watching as the robot made its way back across the room with an almost dejected air.

"Honestly, I don't know what Vault-Tec did to that robot's programming, but it needs to be fixed." Forsythe muttered, removing the thermometer from her mouth before he activated the blood pressure monitor. "Now, just sit here quietly so it can take an accurate reading. I'll return shortly."

When Nora gave him a weary nod, Forsythe gave her another smile and turned away, heading across the clinic and disappearing into the storeroom.

The machine was loud, the droning exacerbating her headache. As the cuff tightened around her arm, she closed her eyes against the glare of the clinic lights, already wishing that she were back in bed.

"Excuse me."

Frowning, Nora opened her eyes to see that the robot had returned, and was now gazing at her fixedly with two of its eyestalks, the third watching the storeroom door and Rachel at her desk.

"Yes?"

"I have developed a serum that I believe shall help to alleviate your symptoms," Curie began, holding up a syringe that contained a dark pink liquid. "I tried to tell the Doctor earlier, but he was occupied."

Nora blinked. Curie's tone was somewhat stiff, as though she had been offended by Forsythe's earlier brush off.

"Is it some kind of a stimpak?" Nora asked, regarding the syringe warily.

"I have tailored the original stimpak formula to better suit your needs," the Miss Nanny stated, bobbing slightly in the air. "I am afraid it isn't a cure for your condition, but I believe it will help to improve your quality of life."

"Has Doctor Forsythe tested it yet?"

"No. I am afraid the Doctor has been far too preoccupied, but I can assure you that it is quite safe."

Slowly, Nora reached forwards and took the syringe from Curie's claws.

"Would I apply it like a normal stimpak?"

"Yes! I would recommend –"

"Curie!" Doctor Forsythe called, striding across the clinic. "How many times have I told you to stay at your workstation, and not to bother my patients?"

"But Doctor, I was only –"

"Enough! If you have run out of work to do, put yourself in power saving mode and keep out from under our feet."

"As you wish."

As Curie drifted back towards her workbench, Forsythe sighed and shook his head, turning his attention to the blood pressure monitor before switching it off.

"Sorry about that. I'm hoping that Bobby will be able to look at that robot's programming and fix it."

"Why? Has it been giving you trouble?" Nora asked, slipping the syringe into a pouch on her belt.

"In some ways," Forsythe began, raising her chin before gently applying pressure to her throat with his fingertips. "At times it almost seems to have a mind of its own, and has a tendency to disobey both mine and Rachel's orders. Like I said though, I'll have Bobby tinker with its programming, or set it back to its factory settings."

"But won't it lose all of its data?" Nora frowned, watching as the doctor began scribbling notes down on a clipboard.

"Yes, but I'll record the useful data first." Forsythe shrugged. "That way we'll have all the knowledge, and the robot can serve its purpose. They were made to be more obedient than pokémon, after all."

* * *

By the time Nora returned to her quarters, she was feeling exhausted. She lingered for a few moments in the doorway, one hand groping for the light switch on the wall. A few moments later her room was illuminated, revealing all of her earthly possessions.

Her bed was pressed against the far wall, the sheets still a crumpled mess from her earlier panic. A closed jewellery box and a few battered old plushies were sat upon her dresser, and a couple more lay in Tia's empty bed, scarred by the colourful stitches that marked them as the veterans of Tia's many playfights.

She felt her stomach knot at the sight of the empty dog bed and turned away, her eyes falling upon her small dining table… and the holotape that still lay upon it. She crossed the room and picked it up, turning the small square of yellow plastic over in her hands.

'To Nora' was written in marker on one side, the messy scribbles easily discernible as Nate's handwriting.

Her curiosity piqued, Nora opened the player of her pip-boy and slotted the tape inside, turning up the volume as the tape began to play.

At first there was only silence, and then Nate sighed.

 _"Hey, Nor. I uh… I don't even know where to begin. An apology, maybe?"_ his voice fell silent, and she could picture him running his hands through his hair. He exhaled heavily, and the knot in her stomach grew tighter, a chill chasing along her spine.

 _"Okay… sorry doesn't cut it. Sorry is never going to cut it…_

 _"I hurt you when I started taking those chems again, and then you were hurt when I took you into the other vault. If I'd been a better person, Tia would still be alive and you…"_ his voice cracked and he choked back a sob.

 _"Sorry is never going to be enough for what I've done. I haven't just hurt you. I've ruined your life… but I'm going to try and fix it, and in order to do that, I'm going to leave the Vault."_

Nora felt like she'd been punched in the stomach, the air leaving her lungs in a rush as her eyes grew wide.

 _"I know that this is probably the last thing you want to hear… or maybe it'll be the best news you've heard. I don't blame you if you hate me. God knows I deserve it… but I'm going to try and make things better._

 _"The cure for your condition might not lie inside the vault, but there might be one on the outside… by the time you get this, I'll already be gone, and I'm sorry if this causes you more pain, but I won't let you down again. Not after this._

 _"I'll make things right again. I promise."_

There was a click as the recording ended, leaving Nora to sit alone in the roaring quiet.


End file.
